


Divergence

by Arkanna



Category: Xiaolin Showdown (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 20:08:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10906572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arkanna/pseuds/Arkanna
Summary: Why Shen Gong Wu should never be used frivolously.





	Divergence

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Xiaolin Showdown or any of it's characters.

“Are you kidding me?” Jack exclaimed looking at Kimiko in astonishment. The Dragon of Fire had actually knocked politely and waited for him to answer the door.

She nodded, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. That she actually had stooped to asking Jack Spicer for help . . .

He sighed, running a hand through his spiky red hair.

“Come on,” he motioned for her to follow him down to his lair.

“I don't know what I might need,” he mumbled, absently grabbing an assortment of things and stuffing them in his pockets. He unlocked a small wooden cabinet to reveal a high-tech door that would not open without his palm print and a security code. Jack pulled the new and improved version of his time travel device from a drawer and then paused a moment before taking the Golden Tiger Claws. His gaze lingered on the Monkey Staff before locking the cabinet once more.

Kimiko looked exceedingly uncomfortable standing by herself in the middle of his lair. Her normally over bubbly personality was subdued and Jack knew she was worried about the rest of the monks.

“We'll need the Eye of Dashi for power.”

“I'll get it,” she said quietly.

Jack nodded, “Golden Tiger Claws!” and they both vanished only to reappear a moment later outside the temple.

Kimiko disappeared inside, leaving Jack standing in a shadowed area of the courtyard. It was nearly dark and he sincerely hoped no one saw him. He absolutely did not want to explain to Master Fung why he was there. It was just too crazy.

She returned a few minutes later and handed him the Eye. Jack snapped it in place with a sigh but then frowned.

“You're sure that is where Raimundo wanted to go?”

Kimiko nodded, “He was all excited about wanting to see the place,” she rubbed her arms nervously.

“Haunted,” Jack stated rather than asked.

She nodded again.

He rolled his eyes in disgust, thinking. Jack did not like dark, spooky places and definitely not dark, spooky, HAUNTED places. 

“There's someone we should talk to before we go,” Jack said with resignation.

Kimiko gave him a puzzled look just as he activated the Wu

“Chase,” he said grabbing her arm and pulling her after himself.

 

Chase sat on his throne scowling darkly, “Why are you here?” he demanded as Jack and Kimiko slowly approached. His warriors echoed their master's displeasure, growling menacingly, circling, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

Jack stepped forward before Kimiko could speak, nervously tapping his fingers together. “I . . I was wondering if you could give us some advice.”

“Oh?” Chase remarked leaning back and quirking a brow at them. “Continue.” His warriors quieted at his unspoken command

“The other monks wanted to see this old lighthouse that's supposed to be haunted . . . “ Jack began but Kimiko interrupted.

“They took the Sands of Time but that was hours ago!”

“I see,” he said with a smirk, steepling his fingers together, “and why should I care what might befall the other Xiaolin Dragons?”

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than a strange ripple passed through the room. Chase glared around carefully. _Were there fewer warriors?_

Jack felt the disturbance as well but busied himself with his time travel device. Adjusting and readjusting settings—anything to keep from looking at Chase.

Kimiko opened her mouth to say something but she suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

Chase pretended to consider the monk for a few minutes, but he had already decided he would _assist_ in the return of the monks to their appropriate time. That ripple was worrying.

“Chase . . .” Jack began, but the warlord cut him off.

“I believe I will help you find the other monks. The reason for their absence should be quite amusing,” he said, descending from his throne, his hands tucked behind his back.

He leveled his glare at Kimiko, “Why, exactly, did they take the Sands of Time?”

“Well,” she looked over at Jack then glanced down.

Chase turned his gaze on Jack, rapidly loosing his patience.

He fidgeted uncomfortably in the warlord's irritated stare, “I only know what Kimiko told me but,” he glanced at the girl, “they wanted to see it at it's creepiest?”

“BAH!” Chase exclaimed suddenly glaring back at the monk.

“I don't know alright?! They wouldn't tell me and they didn't want me to go. I only snooped because they've been gone too long.”

“You do know where they are if not WHEN?” he scoffed.

“Um, yeah, I sorta know,” Jack replied nervously, “I read the same article.”

Chase crossed his arms and glared at them for a moment then pinched the bridge of his nose, “Let's just go,” he said with an exasperated sigh.

They vanished in a bright flash of light.

 

“I don't get it,” Kimiko complained, staring at the little table.

The contents of Raimundo's knapsack were strewn across the surface. Judging by the empty soda cans and snack wrappers, the other monks had been there.

“Where are they?”

“Well they're clearly not here now,” Chase growled.

They had searched the lighthouse twice and there was no sign of the other monks. The hour was late, it was dark and there was no electricity in the era they found themselves. The lamps had been fueled by oil before the entire structure had been abandoned. The sea was slowly claiming the small finger of land it was built on.

“Maybe they found a way into the tower,” Jack suggested clutching his flashlight tightly, the living quarters gave him the creeps.

“Spicer, the door is locked and the hinges rusted . . .”

Before Chase could finish, there was a loud crash followed by the sound of splintering wood and a cloud of dust. Jack let out a high pitched scream and pointed the light towards the noise. Kimiko stood atop the remains of the door looking up into the gloom.

“Have you lost your mind!” Chase exclaimed, striding towards the girl. “This place was abandoned for a reason. It is not safe and your actions could well bring the entire building down around our ears!” he growled jerking her out of the doorway. “Foolish child!” he pointed to a wide jagged line that crazed the wall, a deep crack that had not been there before.

“I'm sorry,” she mumbled rubbing her arm and looking away. A light blush of embarrassment colored her cheeks.

Chase glared but said nothing before tentatively starting up the stairs. Jack and Kimiko followed closely a moment later.

The first thing he noticed, after reaching the landing at the top of the stairs, was the door to the beacon was open slightly and hanging askew, as if someone had tried to force it from the inside. The second thing Chase became aware of was a low moaning wail rapidly ascending the tower. He jerked around in time to see the stairs crack and begin to fall away into the darkness below. Finally, he realized that Jack and Kimiko were still a few steps behind him.

Without thinking, he lunged, grabbing Jack roughly by the shoulder and tossing him onto the landing near the door. Almost as an afterthought, he caught Kimiko's hand and hauled her up as well. His irritation with the monk was quite evident in his glare—she was a trained warrior and should not need rescuing.

Jack was huddled against the wall clutching his flashlight tightly to his chest and whimpering. His eyes were huge and if it were possible, he was paler than normal. Kimiko was in slightly better shape though she was shivering.

“What is the matter with you two?” Chase demanded.

“The . . . the wail,” Jack stuttered, looking up at the warlord.

“And the c . . cold,” Kimiko added with a violent shiver, clutching her arms.

Chase gave them both a puzzled look before glancing down at the rubble far below. With a shrug, he turned to inspect the door.

“Spicer, get up!” he growled, his patience with this farce nearly at an end.

Jack struggled to obey, but his knees were too wobbly and refused to hold him up. Chase watched him for a moment then reached down and picked him up by the back of his collar, holding him until he could stand on his own.

“Th . . thanks,” he stuttered.

Chase gave an amused snort at the boy's slight blush, then wrenched the door open.

They found themselves in a small circular room just below the beacon. A few shelves lined one wall and held a number of discarded objects from the oil fired lamp. There were also footprints in the thick dust covering the floor—it almost looked as if there had been some sort of scuffle.

Ascending the narrow ladder that led up to the beacon, they found more evidence that the three monks had been there and that something had gone dreadfully wrong. There was still a small amount of oil in the reservoir and with a snap of his fingers, Chase lit the lamp.

The large lens used to focus the beam was broken and there was fresh blood, or rather drying blood, on the shards and floor. Bloody footprints led to a large broken pane of glass. A couple of soda cans lay on their side along with a half eaten bag of chips. The camera Raimundo had borrowed peeked out from beneath the sack.

Kimiko picked up the camera and replayed the footage while Chase inspected the rest of the room. Her sudden gasp immediately caught their attention and she handed the device to Jack and stood shivering, rubbing her arms looking as if she might burst into tears.

Chase looked over Jack's shoulder as he replayed the footage.

 

“Why're we here again pardner?” Clay appeared on screen as Raimundo panned the camera around to get the best possible view of the beacon room.

“To see the demon of Stony Lighthouse.”

“Explain to me this demon again,” Omi said as Raimundo stepped into the picture.

“According to the legend, the second keeper was pushed from the beacon and fell to the rocks below. Before he died, he laid a curse on the place, summoning a spirit to hound the men that played a part in his death but he died before the curse was complete. Instead of being released once the men were dead, it was bound to the lighthouse.”

“But Raimundo, we see Wuya often, why would we want to visit with another ghost?” Omi asked somewhat perplexed.

“He's got a point there,” Clay replied, descending the small ladder and out of sight of the camera.

“Wuya is Wuya, this is supposed to be . . . “

“What is that strange sound?” Omi looked around curiously, interrupting Raimundo.

A low wailing moan was just barely audible before fading away.

“I don't know. Where did Clay go?”

“I will find him,” Omi said confidently descending the ladder.

A few seconds later there was a loud yelp and the sounds of a struggle.

“You guys alright down there?” Raimundo shouted approaching the ladder.

Clay came into view a moment later, Omi tucked under one arm.

“What happ . . .” Clay unexpectedly backhanded Raimundo across the room sending him crashing into the lens, shattering it.

“Sorry 'bout that pardner,” Clay mumbled in a slow strange voice, bending to pick up Raimundo's still form. As he turned towards the broken glass pane, his eyes flashed, glowing an odd shade of putrid green. He walked straight through the broken window and vanished into the darkness.

 

Chase strode to the broken window and looked down. Far below, he could see Clay's hat swirling slowly amongst the rocks.

“Not a demon, more like some sort of possessing spirit but very cunning and malevolent nonetheless,” Chase remarked. Jack and Kimiko joined him at the window but neither could see anything in the swirling waters below.

The tower groaned and gave a sudden violent shake. The collapse of the stairs had apparently destabilized the entire structure, but the warlord could sense something else at work as well.

“OUT NOW!” Chase barked.

Jack was fumbling in his pockets for the Golden Tiger Claws when Chase made an instant decision. He grabbed the boy and threw him roughly over his shoulder eliciting a startled squeak from Jack. The tower gave another shudder and felt as if it were starting to fall as Chase leapt through the window leaving the monk to fend for herself.

“KIMIKO!” Jack yelled. She glanced up in time to catch the Claws and quickly made her escape.

 

Chase, Jack and Kimiko watched the lighthouse slowly crumble and fall into the pounding surf.

The warlord pinched the bridge of his nose even as a slow shiver rose up his spine, the timeline was already diverging. He could feel the imbalance and the potential ramifications for the future.

“Spicer, the device,” he snarled holding out his hand imperiously.

Jack slowly handed his time travel mechanism to the warlord.

“How does this thing work?” he demanded.

The basic functions were fairly simple and easily explained. Chase nodded, made a few adjustments and vanished.

“WAIT!” Jack shouted but he was too late.

“He just left us here!” Kimiko exclaimed, but before she could say another word, Chase was back holding the Sands of Time and looking a bit disheveled.

“Foolish children!” he snarled, his eyes flashing momentarily as he dusted himself off and straightened his armor.

Kimiko barely caught the Shen Gong Wu Chase tossed at her. “Return that to the vault and give my . . . apologies to Master Fung,” he growled.

She started to say something then snapped her mouth shut at his glare. “Sands of Time!” and Kimiko vanished.

“Chase . . . “ Jack asked approaching the warlord slowly.

He was standing with his arms crossed and head bowed, listening. The sense of unease was slowly fading. Whatever alterations the foolish monks had nearly inflicted upon the timeline had been successfully averted.

“What is it, Spicer,” he finally glared at the boy.

“What . . what did you do?” he asked nervously, his curiosity overwhelming his sense of self-preservation at that moment.

An evil smirk touched Chase's lips, “Suffice it to say once the monks were revived, they were not pleased to discover who had rescued them nor were they grateful enough to simply hand over the Sands of Time. They required . . . convincing.”

“And the lighthouse?” he asked, pointing at the rubble slowly being consumed by the waves.

“What of it?” Chase asked dismissively, turning away.

“Won't that cause trouble?”

“No,” Chase sighed tiredly, tossing the device back to Jack. “The lighthouse was always destined to fall into the sea. The monks, however, were not meant to be a part of it's destruction. The electronic devices Raimundo had with him were an anachronism. They would be found a hundred years before such technology was even imagined.”

He walked a few paces, his hands behind his back, “Then there was also the sudden extreme power imbalance between Xiaolin and Heylin. The repercussions could not be allowed. I will not tolerate a repeat of the last alternate timeline,” he glanced over his shoulder at Spicer.

The boy looked at him curiously, but said nothing.

Chase narrowed his eyes a moment. There was something not quite right about that innocent stare.

Jack caught up to Chase but remained silent under his glare. He fiddled with the device a moment then looked inquiringly at the warlord.

He scowled at Jack briefly, “take us home,” he finally ordered, glancing at the ruined lighthouse one last time before they vanished.

A wisp of white fog flowed up from the ground a bare second later, but it was too late, there was no one to possess and it spiraled into the sky wailing in frustration before it disappeared.

 


End file.
